Jeanette Dunscombe says she grew up in the skateboard community in Arizona before she moved to Madison 13 years ago. Now that she has twosons learning to grind and flip locally, she is helping Madison build its first outdoor skate park.
She's doing it the way she knows how - booking a rock show.
Dunscombe booked shows for the now-defunct Slipper Club from 2005 to 2007. On Saturday, Feb. 19, at the High Noon Saloon, she'll present a DJ and three bands that will bang out skateboarders' most revered genres - heavy metal and punk rock. The lineup includes Madison's Antiprism, Systemic Torment and DJ Jeremy Thomas. Wausau loud rockers Romero round out the bill.
Saturday's show is a benefit for the Madison Skatepark Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising money to build a 20,000-square-foot park the city has added to its 2013 capital budget. The city would locate the facility on the near east side as part of its Central Park proposal.
That doesn't mean the skate park is a done deal. The capital budget allocation for the park is $300,000. The estimated cost of the facility is $750,000.
Enter the Madison Skatepark Fund.
"The city's money is really a challenge match," says Patrick Hasburgh, who identifies himself as the fund's "spokesdude."
Dunscombe says she's approached the High Noon show with the idea that the local skateboarding community needs to be involved. "Skateboarding for me has always been associated with thrash and punk music," says Dunscombe. "So we wanted to book hard-rocking bands."
That association might have something to do with the fact that skateboarders have always had to challenge authority to pursue the sport. "It's illegal to skateboard anywhere in Madison but on a residential street," says Hasburgh. "It feels oppressive to be doing something you enjoy and be given a citation for it."
Antiprism, a group Dunscombe describes as "old-school Madison rock 'n' rollers," naturally fit the show's vibe. The blistering electric guitar riffs that open their songs "Filth Be Damned" and "Obliterate Existence" reveal the band's dark, cathartic style. Their lineup includes guitarist and vocalist Alex Drake, guitarist Chuck Amble, bassist Kurt Johnson and drummer Kristine Drake. They've played in a variety of other Madison bands, including Tormentula, Pachinko and Inspector 12.
Romero's layered guitar work grounds their muscular musical approach. On songs like "El Sentido Morboso," the band's deliberate tempo and guitar hooks provide a somber but accessible sound. Madison's Systemic Torment will speed things up in a hurry when they hammer out the frenetic punk-rock rhythm that's featured on their song "Shark's Cool." DJ Jeremy Thomas will be spinning metal and punk tracks, too.
"I wanted to feature people I knew grew up skateboarding in Madison," says Dunscombe. "I wanted people I knew would have a fever for this."
